UFC UK President Marshall Zelaznik confirmed to The Sun today that UFC 100 will be shown in the UK live and as it happens. Speaking exclusively to The Sun, Zelaznik said “I’d like to guarantee our loyal British and Irish fans that UFC 100 will be LIVE on television over here. You won’t have to wait to see the biggest event in UFC history. UFC 100 will be live in the UK.”

Although the UFC have not confirmed which broadcaster will be showing UFC 100 in the UK he did go on to say “We’ve got some very exciting options on the table and I expect to be able to make an announcement by Monday.”

The Sun has claimed that no less than SIX broadcasters are vying for the rights to air the UFC in the UK.

ESPN are said to have lodged a huge bid to become the new home of the UFC in the UK and are the frontrunners to seal a long-term contract with the promotion — probably starting with UFC 101 in August.

But they face a challenge from Five, who are keen on bringing MMA to a mainstream audience.

Although Five cannot match ESPN’s financial clout, the lure of terrestrial television may help swing them the deal in favour of their subscription-based rivals.

Sky Sports are also in the running, but their failure to fully back UFC programming with a weekly talk show saw them lose out to Setanta two years ago.

Bravo are also interested in screening live fights but it is understood the UFC would prefer to team up with Virgin 1 if an agreement with ESPN or Five cannot be reached.

Insiders at Virgin 1 were reportedly amazed at the viewing figures season nine of The Ultimate Fighter produced considering the minimal advertising spend the show received.

Over 380,000 people watched the TUF 9 finale earlier this month and the UFC are said to be delighted with its success.

UFC 100 is a milestone in the history of the UFC and the sport of Mixed Martial Arts. What was once described by presidential candidate and ex US Navy boxer, Senator John McCain, as “Human Cockfigting” the UFC has gone on to become the largest provider of pay per view content in the world.

UFC 100 Bisping vs Henderson

UFC 100 is headlined by the heavyweight title bout between Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir. UFC 100 also included the battle between the TUF 9 coaches Dan Henderson and Mike Bisping.

Dan Henderson in an interview with UFC.com about his upcoming fight with Michael Bisping at UFC 100.

Dan Henderson TUF 9 Team USA Coach

“Bisping does talk a lot,” Henderson told UFC.com. “I guess he was working to get me riled up, it’s almost impossible to get me riled up. I’m easy going and I can roll with it. If you disrespect me, I just kinda take a mental note. And ya know, that will come out his ass later. I’ve fought plenty of guys that have the background in stand-up and I don’t have a problem striking with anybody. Obviously I don’t want to play into someones strengths and I’m usually better at being more well-rounded than my opponents. There’s something I’m always better at and that’s where I’m gonna try to force the fight to go. If I’m not out-striking him, I’m gonna take the fight somewhere else (smirks). I have a feeling he’s no better on his feet than I am. I’m sure he’s a little bit better at moving his feet and cutting some angles but he definitely doesn’t have more power than I do. I just wanna force him to fight me, cut him off, and make him stay in my face.”

“I’m expecting a tough fight as it is and I know he’s gonna be in shape and ready to go.” Henderson said. “That’s about the only thing that he has going for him is his cardio. I’m gonna focus on that and make sure it’s not a factor in this fight. I think if I don’t even step one foot into the gym and not work on technique or wrestling or anything and did just cardio, I’d still beat him up. I’m a better fighter, I’m more experienced and that’s there. I just wanna make sure my conditioning is there.”

“I don’t care what he says, it doesn’t matter, it’s not gonna change how I fight him,” said Henderson. “I’m still gonna be trying to knock him out, still trying to beat him up and make his lip so fat he can’t talk for a couple days. It’s still gonna be what I’m doing no matter what. So I don’t really care what he says, it doesn’t matter or affect anything.”